Happy
by thenerdiestprincess
Summary: It's love at first sight for Bolin when Jinora returns to Air Temple Island from the university in Republic City. Unfortunately, the person that she loves the most isn't him. Will Bolin let Jinora go to make her happy?


Bolin watched Tenzin get up and answer the door. He vaguely wondered who it could be at this hour, but he was soon brought back into his game of Pai Sho with Ikki. The young airbender was as bubbly as she had been as a child, but she was also incredibly clever and had used his brief moment of inattention to trap two of his pieces. Bolin had to scramble to make sure she didn't beat him on the next turn. Korra and Mako were cuddling in the same armchair near the fire. Bolin couldn't believe that he had ever thought Korra would be a better girlfriend for him; Mako and Korra made each other so happy, it was slightly revolting to watch. Meelo was fiddling with the radio, while Rohan had fallen asleep on Naga again. Pema was looking pointly at Korra's engagement ring and knitting what appeared to be baby socks to Bolin.

So when Tenzin came back with a person in long robes, Bolin just assumed it was a councilman with a terrible sense of timing or something. He definitely did not expect a beautiful woman.

Ikki stood up, knocking half the pieces off their game board. "Jinora!" she shrieked, embracing her sister. Jinora seemed taken aback by her sister's grand display of affection. She awkwardly patted Ikki on the back before she was ambushed by her little brothers, each of them wanting the chance to hug her. It was quite a while before Jinora could extract herself from the tangle of arms around her.

Luckily, Bolin was able to close his mouth before Jinora walked over to where he was standing. "Hi, Bolin," she said breezily, brushing a strand of her brown hair back into place. "How have you been?"

"G-good," Bolin said, hoping Jinora wouldn't notice that he had stuttered over the word. It had been a year since he'd seen her. Every time she'd come home from the university in Republic City, he had something come up, whether it be the Probending tournament or that veterinary crisis with Pabu. The closest they had come to seeing each other in all that time had been Mako and Korra's engagement party, which had unfortunately been Jinora's midterm week.

Bolin had not sought her out in Republic City because the two of them weren't really friends. They hung out at Air Temple Island when they were both there, but it was always with Mako and Korra or her siblings. Besides, back then she had been a bookish teenager, not the lovely woman he was (sort of) having a conversation with.

"That's great," Jinora replied, snapping Bolin back into the conversation. Now was his chance to impress her!

"I, um, how was school? Why are you here?" Bolin asked wildly, and then immediately regretted saying. He sounded like he didn't want her there. So much for impressing her.

Jinora laughed. "Good. I got exempt from my finals, so I thought it would be a good idea to come home and...visit my family." Her face fell slightly, a difference Bolin wouldn't have even noticed had he not been staring at it hungrily. "So here I am!" she said, brightening.

"That's great," Bolin parroted, feeling stupid. She was so eloquent and smart, and he had barely any schooling at all. Jinora probably spent her school days with super interesting people, because who wouldn't want to meet one of the only airbenders on the planet? Especially if she was the nicest, smartest, and most amazing girls Bolin had ever laid eyes on.

"What about you? I thought you've found yourself a girlfriend by now, and stopped mooching of Mako," Jinora joked, and Bolin heard his brother chuckle softly under his breath. He sighed internally. She was funny, too. More funny than he could ever hope to be.

"Nope, just me and Pabu," Bolin said, gesturing to the cushion where his faithful pet was sleeping. He had dated a few girls in the past few years, but none of them had been very serious. Bolin had actually been wondering if he'd be single forever, but one look at Jinora had shut up the little voice in the back of his head that said there was no one out there for him.

"That's too bad," Jinora said kindly, and then said something that made Bolin's heart sing. "You're quite a catch." She then went to sit next to Korra to dish about the wedding. Bolin sat down on the large squashy couch. He was too busy staring at Jinora to notice Pema studying him from the other end of the couch. So immersed was he in Jinora's big brown eyes, that he did not even hear Pema tut and then continue knitting her baby socks.

It was a few hours later, after a particularly raucous drunken story about the good old days from Tenzin, that Jinora stood up. "I think I'll turn in now. I've had a really rough day, and I need to sleep." Wit that, Jinora began walking to her room. Bolin waited a few minutes before he got up to leave so it would be less obvious that he was following Jinora. His attempt at subtlety failed, everyone except Tenzin and the younger boys (who had been sent to bed) was aware of his feelings for Jinora. There were practically hearts in his eyes whenever he looked at her, which was often. Korra exchanged a knowing look with Mako, who rolled his eyes at her before pulling her in for a quick kiss.

Bolin padded down the hallway to Jinora's room. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but stopped when he heard Jinora crying softly and a vaguely familiar voice comforting her.

"Shhh...Nora, don't cry. Please." The voice begged. Bolin knew he'd heard it before, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Skoochy," Jinora sighed, and Bolin's blood went cold as he heard the distinctive sounds of kissing. Not exactly chaste kissing either. There was definitely some slurping involved. Bolin didn't understand. How had Skoochy even gotten in?

"No, Skoochy, listen. I don't want to keep us a secret from my family any more. I don't know why you're so afraid of my dad, he'll just have to deal with the fact that I lo-" Jinora's words were cut off by the sound of more kissing. Bolin felt like his stomach had suck to the soles of his shoes. He would have gladly taken on Amon himself to never have heard this conversation. Listening to Skoochy and Jinora talk was like watching a satomobile accident; he couldn't walk away.

"Jinora, I'm not afraid of your dad because he's the world's best airbending master, although that should be reason enough. I'm afraid of him because even if he does accept our relationship, there's going to be at least a split second where he'll think I'm not good enough for you. And that'll just kill me, because I know he's right." Bolin heard Jinora gasp, and then he heard even more kissing, and the clatter of what seemed to be a lamp falling to the floor. He felt even sicker, but he was also morbidly curious. How long had they been together? Where had they met? And why hadn't Skoochy mentioned it when Bolin saw him a few weeks ago.

There was a lot of heavy breathing from the other side of the door before Jinora spoke.

"You're wrong, though. Because you are good enough."

"I am not. I can just imagine your mother: 'How'd you two meet?' And I'd say, 'Well, you see ma'am, I saw your daughter and thought she'd be easy to con out of a few bucks. It was your standard love at first sight!'" Bolin heard Jinora laugh bitterly, and wished there was something he could do to make her happy, even though the possibility of them was now almost nonexistent.

"Well, I'll just tell her that was a hell of a lot more attractive than those stiffs at the university," Jinora stated unabashedly. Bolin was startled at the sound of her cursing. He had always considered Jinora a combination of too naive and proper to cuss. Then again, he also thought she'd be the last person to sneak a boy into her room. Unless that boy was him.

"Tomorrow. We'll tell them tomorrow," Jinora blurted out.

"Jinora..." Skoochy sighed.

"No. We are doing this tomorrow." Jinora said, her voice getting more determined.

"What happened to the thrill of an illicit love affair?"

"Skoochy!"

"Fine. Tomorrow. I gotta go before they close the sky bison stable, otherwise I'll have to sleep out in the rain. Not fun, especially if I have to look my best tomorrow," Skoochy said, and Bolin could picture him ruffling his hair like Skoochy always did when he was exasperated.

"No, sleep in my room tonight. I don't want you to get sick," Jinora nearly cooed, and Bolin felt like vomiting up his dinner."I just need to get changed into pajamas."

"Maybe I could help you out with that."

The noise that followed could only be the sound of Jinora slapping Skoochy's hand away from whatever article of clothing he'd tried to remove.

"I'm going to the bathroom. Try to behave yourself while I'm gone," Jinora said, and Bolin began panicking as he watched the doorknob turn. He wished he could run away, but it was too late. Jinora stared at him, looking rather shocked, and he watched Skoochy try in vain to hide behind a large reading chair.

"Bolin!" Jinora gasped, turning a bright shade of red. "How much did you hear?" She babbled, trying to come up with an explanation that was perfectly innocent and almost immediately giving up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just came down this hallway to...use the bathroom, and I happened to overhear. I'm sorry," he said, willing her to believe him, to not think he was creepy or annoying.

"Please don't tell my dad," she whispered, looking at him with those massive brown eyes he couldn't resist, and he knew he couldn't begrudge her relationship with Skoochy or even sell out the couple to Tenzin.

Because Skoochy made her happy. And Bolin didn't really love her if he was willing to wreck the thing that made her happy. Even if it broke his heart.

"Nah, I won't. Have fun, you crazy kids. But not too much fun," Bolin said, laughing through destruction of his heart. But the huge smile, just for him, that appeared on Jinora's face made the whole thing worth it.

"Thanks, Bolin," she called out as he walked back down the hall to his room. He knew it would hurt more later as he drowned in yet another bowl of noodles, but right now all he could do was smile because of the way his name sounded when she said it.

The next morning, Bolin got up early to go train. He sparred with Meelo and Rohan for a while. He took turns sparring with Korra and Mako, before they snuck off somewhere to do something that Tenzin would undoubtedly disapprove of. He was using earthen disks to sever the heads off crude dummies he had formed of earth when he heard someone behind him.

"I told you, Mako, I'm fine. And I still don't want to talk about it!" Bolin said, flinging one of the disks over his shoulder. He was fairly surprised when it flew right back at him.

"Who?" Bolin said, before turning around. "Tenzin!" he shouted. "You know, you have very quiet footsteps," Bolin remarked.

Tenzin shrugged. "Must be an airbender thing. I wanted to talk with you about something."

Bolin sighed, prepared to deny his feelings for Jinora for as long as it could possibly take.

"It's about Skoochy. Jinora told me that she is seeing him romantically today, and I wanted to get your opinion of him. You've known him much longer than I have, and unlike Mako, you have no reason whatsoever to get on my good side." Bolin looked at Tenzin, surprised that the older man found him a good judge of character.

"I think," Bolin began, picturing Jinora's smile in his head, "that if he makes Jinora happy, that's all that matters."


End file.
